2024 Brights Creek Golf Tournament Results

Ninety-eight golfers competed over the weekend at one of North Carolina’s hidden gems as the Upstate Amateur Players Tour traveled to Brights Creek Golf Club in Mill Springs, NC. With a full tee sheet, the golfers were split between Saturday and Sunday as they competed for $9,000 in cash and VISA gift card prizes.

The weekend brought ideal playing conditions, with the exception of some wind midday Saturday. The golfers were treated to Brights Creek, a private club located just north of Columbus, NC. Brights Creek is a Tom Fazio designed course that features scenic views and a challenging, yet player-friendly design. The course was ranked 37^th by Golf Digest, and is one of the more award-winning clubs in the area.

The tournament was highlighted by one impressive shot on the par-three third hole as Doug Dietz made a hole-in-one on Sunday.

The Upstate Amateur Players Tour travels the Upstate of South Carolina and portions of North Carolina, giving golfers of all skill levels a chance to compete on some of the best courses in the area. The tour is designed by the players, for the players, with its focus on providing a world-class experience for its players while enjoying a round of golf.

Here’s a breakdown of the results from the weekend by each division:

Division 1 – Six golfers finished within four shots of the lead in Division 1 on Saturday, but in the end it was Scott Patnode who prevailed with his round of 77. Patnode got off to a steady start, using a birdie on the front nine to shoot two over par. He played his last three holes in just one over par to win by the narrowest of margins.

Michael Thornburg and Ben Cox finished tied for second place, one shot back after shooting 78. Thornburg made two birdies on the day, and pared three of his last five holes to finish runner-up. Cox ended his day with an exclamation point, birding the par-five 18^th hole.

Jackson Hill and RJ Foltz rounded out the top-five with rounds of 79.

Senior Division 1 – Scott Patnode’s round of 77 was also good enough to win Senior Division 1 on Saturday. Patnode’s two birdies tied for the most in the division as he played a stretch of five holes on the front nine in one under par. Ben Cox finished runner-up, one shot back with a round of 78. Cox birdied the par-five ninth hole to shoot just one over par on the front nine. His scorecard on the outward stretch included six pars on the front nine.

Randy Hodges finished third, shooting 81. Hodges found his groove on the back nine, making seven pars and just two bogeys. Dan Constantino finished fourth after shooting 82, followed by Robert LaCombe in fifth place with a score of 84.

Division 2 – Scott Weber overcame a tough start, playing an eight hole stretch on the front nine in one under par en route to his round of 76 to win Division 2 on Sunday. Weber also made birdie on the par-three 13^th hole on his way into the clubhouse.

Jeremy Key and Josh Lemmond shot 78 to tie for second-place. Key played his final eight holes in one over par to battle his way to the runner-up position. Lemmond got off to a hot start, playing his first six holes in one under par.

Travis Wartluft finished fourth with a round of 79 after an impressive back nine that featured eight pars and just one bogey. Judd Dye and Chris Lombardozzi tied for fifth place with rounds of 81.

Senior Division 2 – Travis Wartluft’s stellar back nine paid off on Sunday as he took the top spot in Senior Division 2 with his round of 79. Wartluft played the back nine in just one over par, with eight pars on the inward stretch.

Michael Mullins overcame two bad holes on the back nine to shoot 82 and finish second in the division. Mullins made birdie on the par-fourth 16^th hole as he climbed the leaderboard.

A three-way tie for third place included Matthew Hendon, John Wayne Parrish, and Tony White. All three competitors shot 84 to round out the top-five.

Division 3 – Greg Pruitt buckled down on the back nine with eight pars and just one bogey to shoot 79 and win Division 3 on Sunday. Pruitt shot 37 on the back nine, bouncing back from a 42 on the front nine.

Adam Moore finished second with a round of 81. Moore made three birdies on the day, the most in the division. He made consecutive birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 to shoot 39 on the back nine.

Darrell Johnson shot 82 to finish in third place, followed by Matt Houser with a round of 84 to finish fourth. Dan Ahlers rounded out the top-five with a round of 85 that was highlighted by a birdie on the par-four eighth hole.

Senior Division 3 – Darrell Johnson made six pars and a birdie down the stretch to pull away from the field and win Senior Division 3 on Sunday with a round of 82. The Woodruff, SC native birdied the par-four 15^th hole before three straight pars closed the round.

Tracy Brown finished runner-up, carding a score of 87. Brown pared four of his last five holes to reach the podium. Dan Easten and Andre Banks finished tied for third place with rounds of 88.

David Croston rounded out the top-five with a round of 89.

Division 4 – Robert Gibson’s birdie on the par-four 12^th hole proved to be crucial as he cleared his competitors by just one shot to win Division 4 on Saturday with a round of 88.

Gibson shot 43 on the inward nine to win by the narrowest of margins over a group of hard-charging competitors.

Ronnie Thornton finished in second place with a round of 89. Thornton made five pars on the back nine to climb to second place. Charlis Warstler shot 91 to finish in third, followed by Kyle Trammell in fourth place with a round of 92.

Phillip Bush and Steve Bisson finished tied for fifth place with rounds of 94.

Senior Division 4 – Robert Gibson’s round of 88 was also good enough to earn him the top honors in Senior Division 4 on Saturday. Gibson defeated Ronnie Thornton by just one shot as Thornton shot 89 to finish in second place.

Phillip Bush shot 94 to finish third. He steadied his round midway through the front nine, including a par to finish the outward stretch.

Big Al Reynolds shot 95 to finish fourth, followed by Scott Bryant in fifth place with a round of 96.

Division 5 – Derrick Ray made birdie on the par-three 16^th hole to highlight his round of 96 as he cleared the field by one shot to win Division 5 on Saturday. Ray closed his front nine with three pars on his final four holes.

Tim Kunkel finished close behind with a round of 97. He made two pars coming to the clubhouse to secure his position near the top of the leaderboard.

Michael Addison shot 99 to finish in third place. A three-way tie for fourth place included Kyle Macklin, Danny Sullivan, and Steven Reeves who all shot 100.

Senior Division 5 – While Tim Kunkel came up just short of the win in Division 5, his round of 97 earned him the top honors in Senior Division 5. His two pars on his final three holes proved crucial in his victory.

Danny Sullivan and Stephen Reeves shot 100 to finish tied for second place. Jim Pritchett shot 103 to finish fourth, followed by Bill Gillette and Don Smith, who both shot 105 to finish in fifth place.